God's Faithfulness

Dan Corner

God's Faithfulness To His Good Promises AND His Most Disturbing Threats

God's faithfulness is both encouraging and terrifying! Toward the very end of his life Joshua summoned all of Israel before him to hear a reflection of their historic past, which he would afterwards use to lead up to a solemn warning (Josh. 23:1-16). Among other things, Joshua focused in upon the faithfulness of God which brought them into the promised
land they now possessed. He reminded them:

You know with all your heart and soul that not one of all the good promises the
LORD your God gave you has failed. Every promise has been fulfilled; not one
has failed (v.14).

Beyond this, Joshua knew something else about God's faithfulness, that is,
another side of it, that many seem unaware of in our day! He went on to say to
those who were now enjoying the good of the land:

"But just as every good promise of the LORD your God has come true, so
the LORD will bring on you all the evil he has threatened, until he has
destroyed you from this good land he has given you. If you violate the
covenant of the LORD your God, which he commanded you, and go and serve
other gods and bow down to them, the Lord's anger will burn against you, and
you will quickly perish from the good land he has given you" (Josh. 23:15,16).

God's Faithfulness Extends To Even His Most Disturbing Threats

God's faithfulness is to his word always! In other words, just as God is faithful to fulfill His "good" promises, He will likewise carry out His most disturbing threats! God is faithful to do both for He
cannot disown Himself.

This important-but-disturbing fact about the negative side of God's faithfulness
has been overlooked, intentionally or unintentionally, to the harm of the Body of Christ.
Israel's historic future from that point in time when Joshua's sermon was delivered is
absolute proof that God is faithful to carry out His awesome threats, even to those
who are His sons:

"He said, 'They are my people, sons who will not be false to me'; and so he became their Savior. In all their distress he too was distressed, and the angel of his presence saved them. In his love and mercy he redeemed them; he lifted them up and carried them all the days of old. Yet they rebelled and grieved his Holy Spirit. So he turned and became their enemy and he himself fought
against them" (Isa. 63:8-10).

Also, see 2 Ki. 17:13-23. Furthermore, though seemingly little known, it is also a
fundamental, basic truth found in Scripture that God's favorable promises or solemn
threats are conditional upon our continued obedience or disobedience to Him. Scripture
declares:

"If at any time I announce that a nation or kingdom is to be uprooted, torn down
and destroyed, and if that nation I warned repents of its evil, then I will relent and
not inflict on it the disaster I had planned. And if at another time I announce that
a nation or kingdom is to be built up and planted, and if it does evil in my sight
and does not obey me, then I will reconsider the good I had intended to do
for it" (Jer. 18:7-10).

[Verses 7 and 8 contain the reason why God did not destroy Ninevah as Jonah
had prophesied would occur in forty days (Jonah 3:4). This is the response the
Jehovah's Witnesses (and others) need to hear who try to escape their own false prophesy by referring to Jonah.]

Certainly, some will say that Jer. 18:7-10 only applies to whole nations or
kingdoms, but not to individuals. Therefore, such people conclude that we as
individuals don't have to remain faithful after we have personally benefited by God's
promise, especially regarding salvation. This, however, is clearly refuted by the
following:

"But if a righteous man turns from his righteousness and commits sin and
does the same detestable things the wicked man does, will he live? None
of the righteous things he has done will be remembered. Because of the
unfaithfulness he is guilty of and because of the sins he has committed, he
will die. Yet you say, 'The way of the Lord is not just.' Hear, O house of Israel: Is
my way unjust? Is it not your ways that are unjust? If a righteous man turns from
his righteousness and commits sin, he will die for it; because of the sin he has
committed he will die. But if a wicked man turns away from the wickedness he
has committed and does what is just and right, he will save his life. Because he
considers all the offenses he has committed and turns away from them, he will
surely live; he will not die. Yet the house of Israel says, 'The way of the Lord is
not just.' Are my ways unjust, O house of Israel? Is it not your ways that are
unjust? Therefore, O house of Israel, I will judge you, each one according to his
ways, declares the Sovereign LORD. Repent! Turn away from all your offenses;
then sin will not be your downfall. Rid yourselves of all the offenses you have
committed, and get a new heart and a new spirit. Why will you die, O house of
Israel? For I take no pleasure in the death of anyone, declares the Sovereign
LORD. Repent and live!" (Ezek. 18:24-32).

God's Faithfulness To Deal With Sinful Kings

Please note that an individual is treated identically to a whole nation or kingdom regarding a change of heart for the good or bad. Sin can always be the
righteous man's downfall leading to his death (spiritual or physical). Kings Saul
and Solomon are examples of what sin can do to the righteous. It was their personal responsibility to "rid" themselves of all the offenses they committed after their
salvation and to get a new heart! Though God is faithful and sovereign He would not do
this for them apart from their will, nor will He fail to deal with unrepentant sin. Let us
take warning and benefit by their sad examples.

Jeroboam is another person we should consider. He is an example of a person
who negated a terrific promise through sin. Before he came to power the prophet Ahijah
said to him:

"However, as for you, I will take you, and you will rule over all that your heart
desires; you will be king over Israel. If you do whatever I command you and walk
in my ways and do what is right in my eyes by keeping my statutes and
commands, as David my servant did, I will be with you. I will build you a dynasty
as enduring as the one I built for David and will give Israel to you" (1 Ki.
11:37,38).

Unfortunately, like so many, Jeroboam's future from that point reveals the negative side
of the faithfulness of God to bring that promised blessing to a halt, due to his
disobedience.

Though God is faithful there are two sides to His faithfulness. If this was not true
there would be no need for both New Jerusalem and the lake of fire! Also, it isn't
God's faithfulness to us that is the real issue, but instead our faithfulness to God!

Regarding the subject of God's faithfulness, a very misleading notation can be
found in the New Geneva Study Bible. This study Bible, which contains the thoughts of
John Calvin and other reformers, states on page 907:

"God's faithfulness is another aspect of His goodness and praiseworthiness.
People lie, and break their word; God will do neither. In the worst of times it can
be affirmed: 'His compassions fail not ... Great is Your faithfulness' (Lam. 3:22,
23; Ps. 36:5; cf. Ps. 89, especially vv. 1, 2, 14, 24, 33, 37, 49). Even when
circumstances are unexpected and bewildering, and threaten to hide His
faithfulness, still we know that God keeps His promises to us who believe: 'All
have come to pass for you; not one word ... has failed' (Josh. 23:14)."

Please notice that Josh. 23:15,16 were omitted regarding their explanation
of God's faithfulness thereby presenting only half the truth on this subject! As
someone once asserted: "A half truth presented as the whole truth is a lie!" This
comment from the New Geneva Study Bible regarding God's faithfulness is a prime
example of this.

More God's Faithfulness Scriptures

We also read of God's faithfulness in 1 Jn. 1:9. There we learn that God is
faithful to forgive and purify us of sin committed after our salvation, IF we meet the
condition cited -- namely confessing that sin to Him. [It is understood we are to have a
willingness to turn away from that sin. See Prov. 28:13.]

Also, 1 Cor. 10:13 states that God is faithful not to let us be tempted beyond
what we can bear. He will always provide a way out so that we can stand up under the
temptation. However, there is still the free will of the individual and his personal
responsibility that are involved here. If these weren't a consideration, then no
Christian would ever fall into sin or stray off into false doctrine, since God will
always do His part perfectly!

Our Faithfulness To God Is The Real Issue

In Rev. 13:10, we also read of faithfulness, but this time it's not God's
faithfulness to us, instead it is the need of our faithfulness to Him -- even during the
time that people for the most part will be worshiping the Antichrist! John wrote
regarding this:

"This calls for patient endurance and faithfulness on the part of the saints."

Very similar to that verse, and during the same time frame, we read in Rev.
14:9-11:

"... anyone [including those who were previously saved] who receives the mark
of the beast and worships his image will be tormented with burning sulfur and
the smoke of their torment rises for ever and ever."

Verse 12 goes on to say:

"This calls for patient endurance on the part of the saints who obey God's
commandments and remain faithful to Jesus."

Moreover, after His own death on the cross, Jesus said to the Christians at
Smyrna:

"Do not be afraid of what you are about to suffer. I tell you, the devil will put
some of you in prison to test you, and you will suffer persecution for ten days. Be
faithful, even to the point of death, and I will give you the crown of life. He who
has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. He who
overcomes will not be hurt at all by the second death" (Rev. 2:10,11).

Again we see faithfulness mentioned, but it's faithfulness on the part of the saints
-- not God's faithfulness to us! Again, let it be noted that it is our faithfulness to
God, according to Jesus, that is needed to prevent being hurt by the second
death (another name for the lake of fire, Rev. 21:8)! God's faithfulness to us didn't
even come up.

Perhaps 2 Tim. 2:13 is most important in our study on God's faithfulness. A
dangerous distortion regarding God's faithfulness begins to surface when certain
teachers -- namely the eternal security (or perseverance of the saints) teachers,
use this verse in a way in which it was never intended to be used. To consider the
immediate context we need to examine 2 Tim. 2:11-14:

"Here is a trustworthy saying: If we died with him, we will also live with him; if we
endure, we will also reign with him. If we disown him, he will also disown us; if
we are faithless, he will remain faithful, for he cannot disown himself. Keep
reminding them of these things."

[Please note that verse 14 shows that these verses were to be often repeated in the
local congregations in which Timothy would have opportunity to repeat them in his day.
In other words, the saints in first-century Christianity, unlike in our day, often
heard verses 11 through 13.]

The way some popular teachers interpret verse 13 is most disturbing, for it not
only violates the immediate context, but it also goes against the whole teaching of
Scripture regarding God's faithfulness to carry out His threats! When Paul wrote 2 Tim
2:12, he probably had Jesus' teachings on this in mind. Jesus said:

"But whoever disowns me before men, I will disown him before my Father in
heaven" (Matt. 10:33);

"But he who disowns me before men will be disowned before the angels of God" (Lk. 12:9).

Even though Paul dogmatically asserted: "If we [Christians] disown him, he
[Jesus] will also disown us," the eternal security teachers give an interpretation
of the next verse regarding God remaining faithful which negates this! For
example, Charles Stanley writes:

"... believers who lose or abandon their faith will retain their salvation, for God
remains faithful" ("Eternal Security Can You Be Sure?," Oliver Nelson Books,
1990, p.94).

This is distorting the Scriptures to the destruction of souls. Such an
interpretation, if accepted, neutralizes this serious warning taught first by the Lord
Himself, then afterwards repeated by the Apostle Paul in 2 Tim 2:12. Since it is
obvious that one cannot remain saved and be "disowned" by Christ, we should
not be surprised that the eternal security teachers would employ such an
interpretation, since they seem extremely unwilling to reject their beloved
doctrine of "once saved always saved" even though it is clearly unscriptural.
Also, some might be wondering from all of this if the eternal security proponents
are calling Jesus a liar by saying He won't disown us, if we become unfaithful to
the point of disowning Him. Please note this is what the original Apostles did
because of the fear of persecution (Mt. 26:31-35). Only a saved person could disown
Christ. In fact, the Apostle Peter did this three consecutive times in the face of potential
physical harm by denying he was Jesus' disciple and that he was with Him in the olive
grove (Jn. 18:17-27 cf. 13:38). Please notice that it is not just through one's lifestyle
that we can "disown" Christ! Furthermore, only one previously saved could become
disowned by Christ. A saved person is referred to as belonging to Christ (Gal. 5:24),
His sheep (Jn. 10:27), etc.

All this boils down to the fact that the unchanging God is faithful at all times, not
only to carry out His wonderful promises of blessings, but also His most solemn
warnings and threats. God will remain faithful to both for He cannot disown Himself.

In spite of God's faithfulness to us, we should be more concerned with our
faithfulness to Him! This is the real issue that many fail to see. Before our earthly life is
over, we may have to choose to die for Him or renounce our faith in Christ. If it comes
to this, may we all remain faithful to Jesus as we bear in mind His eternal words:

"I tell you, my friends, do not be afraid of those who kill the body and after that
can do no more. But I will show you whom you should fear: Fear him who, after
the killing of the body, has power to throw you into hell. Yes, I tell you, fear him"
(Lk. 12:4,5).

The true plan of salvation is repentance towards God and faith in Christ Jesus (Acts 20:21). We prove our repentance by our deeds (Acts 26:20). The Lord Jesus taught the road to life is "hard" and only a "few" will find it (Mt. 7:13,14, NKJV). Many get saved, but afterwards fall away (Lk. 8:13; Jn. 6:66; 1 Tim. 1:19; etc.). In other words, after initial salvation we must endure to the "end" to enter the kingdom of God and escape the lake of fire (Mt. 10:22; Heb. 3:14; Rev. 2:10,11). Eternal life comes to the repentant the moment such believe on Jesus for salvation (Jn. 3:16; 6:47; 1 Jn. 5:12,13), but there is another important aspect of eternal life that many are totally unware of in our day because of the false teaching of eternal security. According to true grace teaching, eternal life is also a HOPE (Titus 3:7), yet to be REAPED (Gal. 6:8,9) in the AGE TO COME (Mk. 10:30) for only the ones who PERSIST IN DOING GOOD (Rom. 2:7) and DO NOT GROW WEARY AND GIVE UP (Gal. 6:9).

If a saved person sows to please his sinful nature he'll die spiritually (Rom. 8:13; Gal. 6:8,9). The prodigal is a clear example of this (Lk. 15:24,32). The end result of sin is spiritual death, so DO NOT BE DECEIVED (James 1:14-16). For ordering information regarding the believer's security, go to Evangelical Books. Our 801 page book, The Believer's Conditional Security, is the most exhaustive and comprehensive refutation to eternal security ever written. It will not be refuted!

Because of the teaching of once saved always saved, grace has been taught as a license for immorality for so long, and without challenge, that when Scripture is quoted, such as 1 Cor. 6:9,10 or Rev. 21:8, it is disregarded, and the giver of God's Word is falsely accused of teaching legalism, bondage, a works salvation, etc. This reflects how truly dark are the days in which we live! Do you know the ACID TEST question to know if a ministry or local congregation is teaching a license for immorality as condemned by Jude 3,4. Even these later truths are related, in a distant way, to God's faithfulness.